Monday Notes

I haven’t had as much time to read lately, but when I do find time, I’m reading a fantastic book by my good friend, Dr. Bruce Baker, Senior Pastor of Jenison Bible Church in Hudsonville, MI. The book is on a subject that very few seem to have written on. It’s entitled, The Road to…

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The One Place I Want to Be

 There is something about a storm that brings you closer to God. Nobody in thier right mind asks for storms, but God in His goodness allows us to passage through them because He knows that it is in the storms where we grow. Angela and I have been enduring some storms lately. We seem surrounded…

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Stop Dating the Church

 One of my favorite authors and pastors is Joshua Harris. When people say, "Who is Josh Harris?" I say that he’s the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, but that’s really not fair, because he wrote that book many years ago. The title of that book induces panic in people, but in its pages is…

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Appreciating Someone You Love

 For the first time in almost 7 years, I have been living at home by myself. My wife and two children have spent the last three weeks in Texas. We lost a good friend, Ben Kottwitz and Angela is there trying to help her best friend, Ashli, get thru the initial grief. Even though we…

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Reflections on the 4th of July

This year, I’m celebrating the 4th in a most unusual way. My wife and two kids, Grace, and Dan Jr, are out of town. I have quickly realized what a great woman she is and how much I depend upon her. I realize how lonely it is around here without her. She has enriched my…

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The Fall of Sanford

Anytime a politician falls, it is a terrible and sad disgrace, not a time for gloating or "I-told-you-so’s." The last two weeks have seen two promising conservative politicans, professing believers, who have admitted to extramarital affairs. As a guy who has been in and around politics, I have a few thoughts:  We evangelicals belief in…

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Calling an Audible

 Except for holidays, we’ve been going thru the Gospel of John on Sunday mornings. Its an incredibly wonderful study of Jesus’ life and mission. John has some of the most profound theology in all the Scriptures. It answers the question: "Who is Jesus?"  Last week we wrapped up chapter 6 and I was all ready…

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Soccer Camp

About a year ago, I went to an Awana training meeting to get more aquainted with the Awana leaders in our area. I also needed to brush up on basic Awana stuff, since it had been several years since I led an awana group. At the meeting the leader discussed a new ministry called, "High…

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Same Kind of Different As Me

 On the way down to South Carolina, we stopped in Knoxville, TN. There we found a fantastic Christian bookstore. As I was browsing the shelves, I saw the book, Same Kind of Different As Me, a book I’ve wanted to read for some time. Lynn Vincent, the collaborater, is a good friend of mine.  I’ve…

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On Moms and Mother’s Day

It was Mother’s Day last year that God brought me to Gages Lake Bible Church. I preached my candidating message and was blessed to have my mother and my mother-in-law (all the way from Texas–she refuses to miss a single big moment of our lives). I shared a message from the life of Hannah, whose…

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Choosing Our Heroes

 There are a few stories swirling around in the culture, especially the Christian culture that raise a whole host of issues about who and how we as as evangelicals choose to represent our values. The stories about Sarah Palin’s family and the ever-shifting tempest over Miss California raise a whole host of issues. A few…

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Bulls-Celtics and Me

Okay, if you hate watching sports like my wife does, then you don’t have to keep reading. But I had to talk about the incredible first-round NBA series between the defending champion Boston Celtics and my hometown Chicago Bulls.  Now I have to say that the last time I enjoyed an NBA game this much,…

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